The sum of $4$ consecutive integers is $278$. What is the first number in this sequence?
Answer: Call the first number in the sequence $x$ The next integer in the sequence is $x + 1$ The sum of the $4$ consecutive integers is: $x+ (x + 1)+ (x + 2)+ (x + 3) = 278$ $4x + 6= 278$ $4x = 272$ $x = 68$ Thus, the first number is $68$.